Q: You’ve written several books about different aspects of
Washington, D.C. Why did you decide to write about Walt Whitman’s years in the
city?

A: The idea for the book came up years ago; it’s a foggy
memory at this point. When I finished Capital Beer, I knew I wanted to do the
Walt Whitman one next; I wanted to tie it in with the 150th
anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination. Peter Doyle [Whitman’s partner] was at
Ford’s Theatre that night.

Q: You write, “In many ways, the war made Whitman…The war
would be the central event of his life.” In what ways did it change him?

A: He had really tried at publishing three versions of
Leaves of Grass, none of which had traction. Americans are not big poetry
readers. He was able to experience the war in a new way, and [his experiences]
helped with Drum-Taps…It propelled him to national and international fame.

Q: Did his wartime experiences change his writing style too?

A: It ultimately did. With the publication of Drum-Taps and
the Lincoln poems—those were probably his last great poems. [The later ones]
were still good, but not as great. Especially after his stroke, [he spent much
of his time reworking] things he had written. There was nothing as good as
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry."

Q: You write that Whitman “is considered one of the fathers
of the district’s gay community.” What impact did he have?

A: There are a lot of things you look at today in D.C. The
biggest landmark is at the Dupont Circle North Metro staton—there’s a big
granite ring around the top of the station, with a quote from "The
Wound-Dresser." It’s from 1865 [but it shows] the universality of youth dying.
It evokes the AIDS crisis—that’s why it was put there.

There’s also the Whitman-Walker Clinic, which serves people
with HIV and AIDS. And he was together with Peter Doyle for so long—they were
one of the District’s first documented gay couples.

Q: Some of Whitman’s best known poems deal with Abraham
Lincoln. How would you describe his attitude toward the president, both before
and after Lincoln’s death?

A: Lincoln came to New York [where Whitman was living]
before he was sworn in. Walt had a different attitude—he did not particularly
like Republicans. When Walt came to D.C., he was a strong Unionist, and he went
from indifference [toward Lincoln] to loving and adoring him.

He saw him many times, but they never [actually met or
spoke]. The closest he got was that he was in the same room with him, but the
president was having a conversation [with someone else].

Q: So after Lincoln’s death, did his love get
even greater?

A: It’s hard to say if he loved him even more after the
fact. There’s a tendency to overly romanticize someone. Lincoln went from being
heavily criticized [when he was alive], and once he was assassinated he became
a martyr to the cause. Now, many people consider Lincoln to be the best
president.

Certainly Whitman really adored the president before, and
after, revered him. You can tell through his poems, especially Lilacs.

Q: After the war ended, Whitman stayed on in Washington for
almost another decade, working as a federal clerk. Why did he decide to stay
here?

A: He had a pretty good thing going—he had a boyfriend, he
had a literary circle of other federal clerks. He liked Washington. It was
different from Brooklyn, which was pretty crowded. It was an exciting city. And
also, he was being paid. He had a decent middle-class salary.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m not certain yet—I have a long list of
[possibilities]. I’m thinking of doing a national book about America during
World War I, the home front. It would focus on Woodrow Wilson’s second
term—there was the war, prohibition, women get the vote, the Red Scare, the
race riots of 1919. It was a really remarkable period.

Q: Anything else we should know about Walt Whitman in
Washington, D.C.?

A: It’s got lots of pictures! The Library of Congress has
much of Whitman’s archives [and much of it is digital] which makes it much more
accessible. You don’t have to live in Washington to access the information.

And the modern photos, I took with my iPhone! It’s amazing
how far phones have come along.

About Me

Author, THE PRESIDENT AND ME: GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE MAGIC HAT, new children's book (Schiffer, 2016). Co-author, with Marvin Kalb, of HAUNTING LEGACY: VIETNAM AND THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY FROM FORD TO OBAMA (Brookings Institution Press, 2011).